Transfer/Visiting Applicants

TRANSFER APPLICANTS

GENERAL INFORMATION:

The faculty has directed the Admissions Committee to consider a broad range of factors, including, but not limited to, LSAT, UGPA, educational and employment experiences, community service, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, and extraordinary family circumstances. The faculty has also directed the Committee to implement a unitary admissions system under which every applicant can choose to compete for admissions with primary emphasis placed either on numerical indicators, such as LSAT and UGPA, or non-numerical indicators, such as experiences and accomplishments.

For more than 45 years, the faculty has recognized that the LSAT and UGPA may not be the best predictors of success in law school and the legal profession for all applicants. Therefore, applicants may indicate that they want their application considered primarily on educational and employment experiences, personal and academic accomplishments, community service, socioeconomic background, extraordinary family circumstances, and the contribution the applicant will make to the overall diversity in the school. Under this alternative, less, though still significant, emphasis is placed on the LSAT and UGPA.

The Minority Student Program (MSP) is a post-admissions program that reflects the faculty’s long-standing commitment to preserve the diversity of the law school community and to improve diversity in the legal profession. The program provides academic support, mentoring, and internships to students who, regardless of race or ethnic origin, can demonstrate through a history of socioeconomic, educational, or cultural experiences that they have been disadvantaged. Admission to MSP is separate from and subsequent to admission to the law school. Every first-year applicant is invited to indicate his or her interest in the program on the admission application.

Over 2,000 applications for admission to the first-year class are received each year. Over 100 applications for transfer are received each year, with the vast majority applying for the fall term. While New Jersey residents account for nearly 70% of the enrolled students, all parts of the United States and more than 20 foreign countries were represented in the class entering in 2014. Of the total enrollment of about 700 students, approximately 38% are members of minority groups. Many students come with advanced degrees in a variety of academic disciplines, work experience, and community service.

We anticipate in the near future the two law schools at Rutgers University, Rutgers School of Law–Newark and Rutgers School of Law–Camden, will be merged into one law school - Rutgers Law - with locations in Newark and Camden. The merger will create an opportunity for us to develop an innovative curriculum that seamlessly melds doctrinal teaching and experiential learning. It will put Rutgers Law in the vanguard of 21st century legal education and position public legal education in New Jersey to stand with the strongest public law schools in the nation. Students will have expanded opportunities to study at both campuses or through distance learning. Both schools will continue to operate at their respective campuses. This merger is subject to accreditation requirments of the American Bar Association, which has not yet taken a position concerning the proposed merger.

The admissions process for transfer will remain separate for Rutgers–Newark and Rutgers–Camden for the 2015 cycle. If you are interested in applying to transfer to Camden, please go to their application.

The law school offers both full-time day and part-time evening programs.

Qualifications for Admission to the Bar (ABA Standard 504):

In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

INSTRUCTIONS AND DEADLINES FOR TRANSFER APPLICANTS:

A student who has successfully completed at least one full academic year or two semesters at another ABA-accredited law school, may apply for transfer admission with advanced standing to either the full-time or part-time law program. Students currently in a part-time program must have completed at least 20 credits and legal writing and research. Transfer students are admitted in the fall and spring. Persons attending unaccredited law schools do not qualify for transfer.

In general, the admissions committee will give serious consideration to transfer candidates who have earned a law school GPA of approximately 3.00 in their first full year of legal study. Recommendations from law school faculty, original LSAT and undergraduate GPA, and personal reasons for requesting the transfer are also strongly considered. The number of available seats for transfer varies from year to year.

Credit may be granted for classroom law courses and in-house law clinics in which the student has either earned a grade of “C” or better on a letter grade system or earned a grade above the lowest passing mark on any other grading system. No credit will be awarded for courses completed on a pass/fail basis. The number of course credits awarded varies from case to case. Transfer students are not able to determine an anticipated date of graduation until after receipt of the formal advanced standing statement. A transfer student receives credit for all in-class graded courses taken at the law school from which he or she is transferring, even when no equivalent course exists within the Rutgers curriculum. In order to receive a Rutgers–Newark degree, transfer students are required to successfully complete a minimum of 42 credits at Rutgers–Newark, and all required courses in the Rutgers curriculum unless excused by the Senior Associate Dean. In all cases, the final year must be spent at Rutgers.

Each candidate for transfer admission must have taken the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and be registered with the Credential Assembly Service (CAS). An official law school transcript, dean’s letter of good standing (academic and disciplinary), and recommendations from law school professors should be sent directly to the law school and not to LSAC in order to facilitate the timely review of the file. We will accept additional letters of recommendation already on file with LSAC, but this is not a substitute for a letter from a law professor. A CAS report will be automatically ordered.

A non-refundable $65 application fee is required. LSAC DOES NOT collect the application fee. The $65 application fee must be paid electronically by e-check or credit card (MasterCard, Visa, American Express, or Discover). Personal checks or money orders cannot be accepted.

You will be directed to a separate, secure website where your payment will be processed. Once you have completed the transaction, you will get a receipt and an email confirmation showing you have paid the fee. We will check the website daily and update your file with your payment once it has been posted.

Fee waivers are available for applicants who show financial need. If you received a fee waiver from LSAC, your application fee will be waived. Please send in a copy of the LSAC fee waiver after you have submitted your application, either by US mail or email (lawinfo@adnromeda.rutgers.edu ). If you did not apply for or did not receive a fee waiver from LSAC, you can request a fee waiver by submitting our institutional fee waiver request form. It can be found on the law school website: http://law.newark.rutgers.edu/admissions-financial-aid/admissions-overview/application-forms. Once your fee waiver request has been reviewed, you will be notified of the outcome. All information submitted will be kept in strict confidence.

Applicants with medical, physical, or other disabilities may voluntarily attach a supplemental page to their application to explain any discrepancies between ability and performance. This information will be kept in strict confidence and will not adversely affect the decision.

The deadline for submitting the application for spring transfer is December 15th; the deadline for fall is July 15th.

A completed file consists of:

1. A completed 2015 transfer application.

2. Payment of the $65 application fee or copy of LSAC approved fee waiver sent to the Admissions Office.

3. Official law school transcript, dean’s letter of good standing (academic and disciplinary), and (1) recommendation from a law school professor.**

4. CAS report with an LSAT score and underdraguate transcripts.

You will be notified by email when your application has been received and again when it is complete. You are encouraged to check the Applicant Status Online webpage to keep track of your application materials.

** These items may be submitted to LSAC for inclusion in the CAS report. However, we prefer originals sent directly to the law school.

FINANCIAL AID:

Any applicant wishing to apply for financial aid should submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), completing the form and returning it to the Federal Student Aid Program, PO Box 4014, Mt. Vernon, IL 62864-8614 (1.800.433.3243). Our Title IV code number is #002629. Forms are available at the law school. You may file online through the Department of Education website: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

ACADEMIC DISMISSAL FROM ANOTHER LAW SCHOOL:

Applicants who have been dismissed for academic or disciplinary reasons from another accredited law school should contact the Admissions Office.

VISITING STUDENTS

Students in good standing who are enrolled in other ABA-accredited law schools may be permitted to take courses with the earned credit transferred to the student’s home law school. Applications are accepted for fall and spring terms. Only students entering their final year or final semester of legal study will be considered. Applicants must submit a special student application, an official law school transcript, and a letter from the dean which states that the student has permission to attend Rutgers–Newark. No application fee is required.

Applicants who are admitted as visitors and are applying for financial aid will apply for aid through their home law school. A consortium agreement will be completed between Rutgers–Newark and your home law school. You will not apply for educational loans through Rutgers.